,3 vi’

 

Having a problem? Do you need another
opinion? Send you queer queries to Ger-
trude & Alice, C/0 ‘Out in the Mountains’ ,
PO Box 177, Burlington, Vermont, 05402.

Oh No! Only one question this month.
We hope this means you are saving them
up, and we’ll get 10 next month. We love
hearing from you!

Dear Gertude and Alice,

I am trying to decide whether to iden-
tify as bi- or lesbian - I need more experi-
ence with women before I can make an
informed decision. “How do I “get it” ?

-Looking for it in Burlington

Dear Looking,

First a note of caution: we have found
“biphobia” to be fairly prevalent in both
gay/lesbian and “straight” populations, so
you might want to “feel out” (pun fully
intended) someone before you confess
your “identity” crisis.

Now to the fun part: gay bars can be
fun for meeting people, but usually not
good for meeting “someone”, but you can
meet “some one” through other people. Try
to expand your repetoire of lesbian friends.
Maybe they’ll know someone else who’s
looking. How about joining a gay/lesbian
organization? OITM would welcome you
to its volunteer staff, and we also list
“Vermont Resources” on our back page.
Happy researching!

"Maurice" is a Must See

by Terje Anderson

“Maurice” is a gay movie; it cannot be
mistaken for anything else. Male homo-
sexuality is the cenual theme, nota discrete
piece which a reviewer can write off as a
subplot, not something which can be ig-
nored by someone who does not wish to
notice it.

Equally importantly, it is a pro-gay
movie. It unabashedly takes the side of the
gay male lead,whose ability to accept and
enjoy his own sexuality is viewed as a
major victory. No apology, no explanation,
no sense of tragedy is connected with
Maurice’s sexual orientation, even in the
iiostile environment of Edwardian Eng-

and.

“Maurice” is the kind of movie Holly-
wood has always refused to make: a truly
gay romance, a film which makes you cry
when the hero doesn’t get his man, and
makes you tingle when he finally finds
love.

Based on E.M. Forester’s semi-auto-
biographical novel “Maurice,” the film is
by the same team of Ivory and Merchant
who made the acclaimed “Room With a
View.” Set in England around 1910, it
chronicles the efforts of a young gentility
which surrounds and stifles him.

Maurice faces challenges along the
route. A college lover becomes straight
because the price of being gay is too high,
refusing to acknowledge his past romantic
involvement with Maurice. An old friend is
arrested in a police set up, and his life is
shattered. A psychiatrist attempts to “cure”
him, then offers him the advice that perhaps

10

 

he is best off leaving England and living
somewhere" where people are more ac-
cepting of human nature.”

“Maurice” reminds us is that, sadly, it
hasn’t changed that much. Gay men still
face the same conflicts and issues. “Mau-
rice” is our story , not simply a reflection of
“how it used to be.”

The film is lushly photographed and
well-acted by a talented cast. “Maurice” is
a romantic, erotic, charming and ironic
movie, and an important piece of gay cul-
ture.

“Maurice" opened in large cities in
September. It will play in Vermontearly in

C  O.Ut._ifl.t
M 

3- H Semi nar
by Roddy O’Neil Cleary

Cooperative Christian Ministry at
UVM sponsored a seminar Oct. 19th, 1987,
to promote education and dialogue on the
topic “Homosexuality, Homophobia &
Holiness.” It was one of a series of ten such
seminars being held this fall throughout the
New England area. The facilitators, Rev.
Robert Nugent and Sr. Jeannine Gramick,
have been involved in gay ministry since
1971. In 1977 they cofounded New Ways
Ministry, a national ministry to reconcile
the Church with the lesbian and gay com-
munity.

This seminar was held in an effort to
deal constructively with the prejudice, fear
and misunderstanding that contribute to
increasing physical and psychological
violence against gay and lesbian people.
The participants spent the day examining
how Christian teachings and the natural
sciences relate to homophobia.

During one of the video presentations
entitled “A Time For Dailogue,” several
young men who were members of Dignity,
a Catholic organization of gay and lesbian
persons, discussed their sexual orientation.
One spoke of embracing his gayness as a
gift from God and how it forced him to seek
God in places he would never otherwise
have looked. Another said t.here’s “some-
thing intrinsic about being looked down
upon that challenges you to question the
status quo.” They both described the au-
thority of the church as pluralistic, and
spoke of the need for moreunderstandin g of
real-life experiences of its members.

A homophobia survey that was given
to each of the participants led to discussion
and enlightenment. For example, Thomas
Aquinas taught that homosexuality was un-
natural because it did not occur in the ani-
mal kingdom. His belief was based on 13th
century biology now known to be inaccu-
rate. Also it was significant to learn that
64% of non-industrial cultures accept
homosexuality.

The thirty-five participants included
graduate students, nuns, priests, ministers
and lay persons from UVM, St. Michael’s
College and several other communities.
Cooperative Christian Ministry at UVM
hopes to be part of an on-going dialogue

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